We can't afford to write off one in five high school students (Your letters)

I am certain that I was one of hundreds of readers who were shocked and saddened by your bold headline in the Sunday paper of May 11 --- "All They Wanted Was To Go To School;" the tragic story of the young Nigerian girls dragged away to be sold like cattle.

Compare this now with the commentary in the same paper by the many Syracuse University School of Education faculty regarding discipline in our schools and the low number of students who remain in school and graduate.

We cannot afford to write off our young people, let alone one in five. It is not a morally or economically acceptable position given the relationship between graduating from high school and a more positive life outcome.

Remember, we are talking about kids who live in a democratic society where everyone has the right to an education without fear of brutality.

As a retired teacher, I must ask, "Do we realize what we have and where we are going?"